Sunday, September 11, 2011

Remember the Titanic - "The Big Piece!"

Rediscover RMS Titanic One Artifact at a Time ArtifactFeature: The Big Piece

Twenty six years ago this month, the wreckage of themost infamous ship in history, RMS Titanic, was discovered at the bottom of theNorth Atlantic. Today, the largest artifact ever recovered,appropriately called The Big Piece, can be found in an unlikely place; in themiddle of the desert at Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition at Luxor, Las Vegas.

Weighing approximately 15 tons and measuring 26 by 12feet, The Big Piece is a section of Titanic’s starboard side hull and wassuccessfully recovered during RMS Titanic Inc.’s 1998 Expedition.It displays the extensive rivet work thatwent into the building of Titanic (about three million rivets were used in theShip’s construction). Also, a part of the original support beam that attachedthe Big Piece to the frame of the Ship is visible on the back of the object.

True history buffs will be interested to know that theportholes visible on the Big Piece came from C Deck and were part of cabinsC-79 and C-81. Although these cabins were unoccupied, nearby cabin C-83 housed New York theatrical producer Henry B. Harris and his wifeIrene. Also nearby was the cabin occupied by W.T. Stead, the most famousjournalist in England at the time. Irene Harris survived the sinking, butboth Henry Harris and W.T. Stead lost their lives in the disaster.

Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition provides guests withthe opportunity to become a passenger as they move through Exhibition galleriesand view more than 20 never-before-seen authentic artifacts including gamingchips, passenger personal papers and decorative sections from Titanic’s famedGrand Staircase. Experience the Ship’s historical journey in chronologicalorder: from the construction yards, her launch, first and third class roomre-creations, the Promenade Deck, the Grand Staircase, the fated sinking, tomodern day recovery efforts.